So my jalapeno plant finally grew out some peppers after two long years of waiting.. I extracted the seeds, put them on a paper towel, and left them on my dresser to dry. It's been about 5 days and they are still not fully dry. Does anyone know how to dry them a little faster without risking the germination rate too much? I would leave them on the dresser but my cats keep going up there and eating them for some reason. I live in Florida so it's sunny here nearly all the time, could I put them in the sun or will it kill the seeds?
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seeds Drying pepper seeds..
- Thread starter backyardpepper
- Start date
Were the jalapenos red?
Yup very red.. Two of them were a little wrinkled. I was on vacation so I couldn't pick them any earlier. Is that okay?
Red is when they are viable so yes.backyardpepper said:
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Paper towel works great but your issue might be humidity. I dehydrate almost all my seeds at 95 degrees.Â
So does that mean I can leave the seeds outside but not in the sun since it's in the 80's and 90's during the day here?
Not sure really, better for another FL person to pipe in. I'd say no, I do mine in a basement due to humidity we have on the East Coast.Âbackyardpepper said:
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Maybe a paper towel and fan inside. Just remember you can plant them right away fresh and nature is awesome so as long as they are not rotting all should be well.Â
Alright guess I'll just wait for a fellow Floridian to come here. Thanks for the help!
i dry mine indoors. i place them on paper like material(coffee filter), but keep a piece of cardboard underneath to absorb moisture.backyardpepper said:
Former Houstonian here - yes, the humidity is a factor for you. Try a fan, as it will help if you can keep air circulating. To ensure the seeds don't get blown away, wrap them loosely in a paper towel and weigh a corner down.Â
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I don't usually dry seeds separate from the pods - I just cut the pods in half and dry the entire set in the dehydrator. As JHP said, no higher than 95F (I dry at 90F.) Can you dry them outside? Sure, but you don't want them in full sun on a surface that can get overly hot (such as not on cement and nor a ceramic plate.) Just make sure they are in a place that gets good air circulation, whether from a fan or the wind.
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I don't usually dry seeds separate from the pods - I just cut the pods in half and dry the entire set in the dehydrator. As JHP said, no higher than 95F (I dry at 90F.) Can you dry them outside? Sure, but you don't want them in full sun on a surface that can get overly hot (such as not on cement and nor a ceramic plate.) Just make sure they are in a place that gets good air circulation, whether from a fan or the wind.
I just wrap mine loosely in a paper towel and leave them for a few weeks. I have had some stay that way for two months (forgot about them) and they were nice a dry.
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I have never tried dehydrating them though. My dehydrator seems to move a lot of air around so I am afraid I would lose a bunch or they would get mixed up.
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I have never tried dehydrating them though. My dehydrator seems to move a lot of air around so I am afraid I would lose a bunch or they would get mixed up.
Watch out for birds outside as we'll.
I decided to keep the seeds in the same spot and patiently wait for them to dry. It's been raining non stop for the last week so I wouldn't want to risk the seeds since rain here starts out of nowhere. I was thinking about putting them in the garage but because of the rain it is very humid in there so it will do more harm than good. Thanks for all the replies! Hopefully I made the right decision.
